Religious Freedom: Employment

(asked on 15th January 2018) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps have been taken by the Government in response to the recommendation in paragraph 6.2.2 of the Council of Europe Resolution 2036 (2015) on upholding freedom of conscience in the workplace while ensuring that access to services provided by law is maintained and the right of others to be free from discrimination is protected.


Answered by
Victoria Atkins Portrait
Victoria Atkins
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This question was answered on 18th January 2018

This Government greatly values the vital role that Christian organisations – and individual Christians - have in our society and the part they play in national life, inspiring a great number of people to get involved in public service and providing help to those in need

A report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in December 2016, ‘Religion or Belief: Is the law working?’, concluded that the existing legal framework provided sufficient protection for people manifesting their religion or belief and recommended that:


‘A duty of reasonable accommodation should not be introduced into law’


We have no plans, therefore, to change to law in that way. However, subsequent to the Council of Europe’s Resolution from 2015, the EHRC has also published a suite of guidance for employers covering issues of religion or belief in the workplace, including how to handle requests from employees to accommodate their religious beliefs while at work.


We believe that the Equality Act 2010 strikes the right balance between the rights of people to manifest their religion or beliefs and the rights of others not to be discriminated against or harassed due to other protected characteristics.


We also do consider that current legislation allows people from expressing their religious beliefs in a legitimate and proportionate way.

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